Week of December 2 – December 8, 2016
SPORTS 45
A New Frontier of Athlete Responsibility
by Damian Fantauzzi for Saratoga TODAY I bet you’ve seen it too. Some teammates lay plans to break a rule, but their captain is afraid to hold them accountable. They often feel like their friend above their actual superior.
Throughout the years of my coaching career I had my teams elect their captains. As time passed, I began to realize that it wasn’t always the right decision. It became more of a popularity contest. Eventually my assistant coach and I decided that we would pick the team’s captains. Unfortunately not everyone on the team is trustworthy. There can be some players who have their own personal agenda. When players notice their teammates talking negatively about another teammate, it can begin this domino effect that trickles down the entire roster. Some unhappy players might try to make every moment a daily experience of dread. Asking student athletes about the difficulty of standing up to teammates on wrong
choices will often times ignite anxieties. It becomes a means of social survival. In today’s world, peer pressure is at an all time high. It seems that too many student athletes live in the fear of intimidation from others, and would rather go along with the overall team atmosphere as opposed to their own, regardless of how toxic it may be. So what can we do? As I mentioned earlier, coaches must set a good example by selecting the appropriate team captains. I believe that in this era of athletics all team members need to take on leadership roles. Team leadership is a necessary entity, so that all can be clear about the goals of the team’s big picture. We are now in a culture that dictates an obsession
about society’s view of us as individuals. This is a scenario that might come from the offspring from social media, such as Facebook and Twitter. I feel in that the realm of this subject there is an unhealthy preoccupation with others’ opinions. People spend too much time trying to impress others, when they should really be focusing on themselves. To gain that focus, there needs to be an attitude of dedication, which includes the observation of the team’s rules. It’s beneficial for the coach to clearly lay out team expectations and guidelines at the beginning of the season. One effective technique I have found later in my career, is to set team laws or rules as a group. This includes a conversation about why these
rules are being put into place, and why those rules can be effective should each member of the team follow them. In conclusion, with some food for thought, there will be outsiders who speculate the team as a family aspect of athletics. Often times this can cause a divide and can drive a spike into the team’s chemistry. During pre-season, I would preach to my athletes that it’s important to stick together as a group, in order to avoid any negative outside influences that may deter the team away from its goals. In the contemporary world of today, a coach has to prepare his or her team of the possible outside interference and influences that could kill the soul purpose of the team-family.
Three Thoroughbreds Selected Three Skidmore Field Players Earn Season Accolade by Kiersten Racela Saratoga TODAY SARATOGA SPRINGS — The trio of Becca Halter, Krista Lamoreaux, and Marissa Folts were named to the Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III AllNorth Atlantic Region Team, the NFHCA organization announced on Monday. Both Halter and Lamoreaux were named to the
First Team, while Folts was named to the Second Team. Halter led the Skidmore defense with thirteen points from four goals and five assists. She also added a team-best three defensive saves. She is also a threetime Liberty League selection, as well as a Longstreth/NFHCA AllNorth Athletic Region Second Team selection in 2014 and 2015. On top of these prestigious athletic achievements, Becca is also
Ballston Spa JV Basketball Tournament Champions BALLSTON SPA — The Ballston Spa JV girls basketball team won the Watervliet Tournament this past weekend. The Scotties breezed to a 51-24 victory on Friday, November 25, and held on in defeating a talented Mechanicville squad on Saturday, November 26 by a final score 44-39. Eighth grader Ana Gold was named the tournament MVP after scoring 18 and 10 pointes respectively in the two games. Caroline Srokowski, Ali Sgambati, Hunter Campion
and Maddie Barnum also contributed well to get the team off to a great start on the season.
a four-time Academic All-Liberty League selection and three-time NFHCA Scholar of Distinction. Krista Lamoureaux finished the 2016 season with a careerhigh eleven goals and eight assists. She also ranks 15th on the team’s all-time scoring list with 35 goals and 35 assists. Lamoreaux is also a four-time All-Liberty League First Team honoree, and in 2014 and 2015 was named to both the Longstreth/NFHCA
All-North Atlantic Region and ECAC Division III Mid-Atlantic First Team. Folts finished this season with three defensive saves to help lead the Skidmore defense alongside Halter. Marissa was also named the Longstreth/NFCHA Division III Player of the Week on September 21. This is the first All-Region honor for Folts, who was also recognized as an All-Liberty League Honorable Mention selection last season.
The Thoroughbreds finished the 2016 season with an overall record of 16-6. The team was crowned Liberty League Champions, and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals.
Local Golf Pro Makes Golf Channel Appearance Saratoga National Golf Club Director Appeared on “Morning Drive” by Kiersten Racela Saratoga TODAY SARATOGA SPRINGS — The “Morning Drive” program on the Golf Channel played guest to a local golf pro. Saratoga National Golf Club Director of Instruction, Anders Mattson, made an appearance on the popular show on Tuesday, November 29, and Wednesday, November 30. The show airs every weekday morning from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. Various coaches have been invited to appear on “Morning Drive,” the Golf Channel’s news and instruction program.
Mattson, age thirty-six, is one of the inaugural coaches of the Golf Channel Academy, a network of world-class coaches and teaching facilities whose goal is to improve a player’s game. With eighty locations as of July 2016, it is among the most expansive golf instruction networks in North America. A Queensbury native, Mattson began his professional career at Saratoga National Golf Club after graduating from Furman University in 2002. He received his Class A certification with the PGA of America in 2009, and was named the Head Golf
Professional at Saratoga National. Mattson also won the 2009 Northeastern New York PGA Stroke Play, and most recently the 2014 NENYPGA Match Play.